Gallagher has started 2023 with a new acquisition that will see it become one of the largest brokers in Ireland. The global insurance brokerage has announced it has acquired First Ireland Risk Management Limited (First Ireland), a Dublin-based commercial and personal lines broker.
First Ireland has a client base of over 35,000 customers. The firm offers insurance products including commercial combined, combined liability, professional indemnity, motor fleet, property, plus home and motor insurance.
Its life and pensions team also offers advice and solutions across four key areas: protection, pensions and retirement, group risk and group pensions plus financial planning.
The First Ireland team will become part of Gallagher’s UK & Ireland retail division. Its managing directors, Tony Gill and Linda Gallagher, will remain with the business and report to Gallagher Ireland’s CEO, Ronan Foley.
“First Ireland is a business we have always admired, and its specialist expertise will strengthen our overall offering as we enter this new and exciting phase for Gallagher,” said Foley. “[The deal] provides us with a strategic presence in Dublin from which we will continue to expand our nationwide footprint.”
Gallagher has been scaling up its operations in Ireland over the last 12 months. It acquired Innovu in June and Doyle Mahon Insurances in November. With this latest deal, Gallagher grows to a team of over 275 people supporting clients across the country. In a release, Gallagher said further growth is “to come organically and from additional acquisitions in 2023 and beyond.”
“Gallagher is the perfect home for our clients and for our people,” said First Ireland’s Gill. “The team is excited to be joining forces with a well-established global firm that has earned a strong reputation for its ethical approach.
“This development is great news for clients, as they will retain the personal service they are used to from the team that they know, and can additionally take advantage of Gallagher’s scale and expertise. We look forward to being part of Gallagher and building on our existing momentum as one of the go-to insurance brokers in Ireland.”
